Speed control



W. R. MU RROW Feb. 14, 1933.

SPEED CONTROL Filed Jan. 27, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 [1V V E N T OR W////0m R? Murrow ATTORNEY Feb. 14, 1933. w. R. MURRO'W SPEED CONTROL Filed Jan. 27, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 14, 1933 UNITED STATES.

PATENT, OFFICE B. IURROW, 0F INDEPENDENCE, KANSAS, ASSIGNOB OF ONE-HALF '10 0. w.

common, or mnnrnnnmcn, mass mnooomor.

Application Med January 87, 1980. Serial No. 488,875.

This invention relates to devices for controlling s d of automotive vehicles, and more particularly to devices of that character whereby maximum s eed of the vehicle is limited by automatical y shutting off fuel suppl to the engine when the vehic e has attame a predetermined speed, the princi al object of the invention ham to provide or initiall startin closure of t e shut off valve when the vehic e has attained its redetermined speed and to automatically e ect final closure and control of the valve indirectly through actuation 'of the accelerator by the operator of the vehicle.

In accomplishing this and other ObJBCtS of the invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a portion of an automotive vehicle equipped with my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of my improved apparatus mounted on a carburetor, a governor adapted to control the circuit to the device and a battery, parts being broken away for better illustration and parts of the normal equipment of an automobile being shown fragmentarily.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal central section through the solenoid housing.

Fig. 4 is a vertical central section throu h the valve housing and valve illustrating t e flow checking position of the valve in dotted lines.

Referring in detail to the drawings:

1 designates an automobile including frame members 2, an engine 3 having an intake manifold 4, a transmimion case 5, a carburetor 6 and a suction line including an out let 7 from the carburetor for conducting mixed fuel from the carburetor to the intake manifold and cylinders.

In vehicles of the character described,

' means including a rod 8 connected to a crank 9 is adapted to operate a butterfly throttle valve in the suction line for controlling flow of fuel therethrough, the rod being automatically operated by an accelerator pedal or similar convenient means.

Automobiles are also ordinarily provided A journal socket 17 and a journal opening 18 are formed in the wall of the passage at opposite points offset from the'diameter of t e passa e. A shaft 19 rectangular in cross section as opposite cylindrical ends 20 and 21 mounted in the socket 17 and opening 18 respectively, and abutterfly valve 22 comprising an elliptical plate having a short diameter substantiall equal to the diameter of the passa e is fixe to the shaft by screws 23 with the ong axis of the valve extending verticall The shaft extends across the valve su stantially on the short axis thereof and parallel thereto to divide the same into unequal upper and lower portions 24 and 25,

and the va ve is mounted on one side of the shaft so "that one face of the valve may extend vertically substantiall centrally in the passage, and the opposite ace will lie in an offset position from the center of the passage.

The valve is normally retained in slightly tilted position as illustrated in Fig. 4, as present y described.

The influence of vaporous fuel passing through the housing will therefore tend to move the valve rotatively in anti-clockwise direction in Fig. 4 to engage the periphery of the valve with the wall of the bore. The edges of the valve portions are oppositely beveled, conformably to the contour of the wall when engaged therewith, as indicated at 26 and 27 to cause a substantial area of the edges of the plate to engage the Wall when the plate extends in the angular position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 to close the suctionline.

The housing member 13 is further rovided with an upwardly extending side edge flangp 28, and a bracket 29 comprising a casing avingl a horizontal longitudinal chamber 30 is xed to the flange and side of the member 13 forming an operating chamber for a lever or crank 31 fixed to the protruding end 21 of the shaft 19 and a lever-operatlng core 32 of a solenoid 33 including a coil 34 and a tubular body 35 mounted in a housing 36 having end flanges 37 secured to ears 38 of the bracket 29 by bolts 39 and an outer end wall 40. The core has a reduced neck 41 and a head 42 en aging the upper end of the lever 31, where y when the solenoid is energized as present y described, the core will move to the left in Fig. 3 and tilt the lever for pivotally moving thevalve toward passage-closing position.

A coil'spring 43 mounted in the tubular body 35 and bearing against the end wall 40 of the housing tends to urge the core outwardly from the body, and normally retains the core and lever in such a position that the valve extends substantially vertically in the passage 14 to ofler relativel little resistance to passage of fuel from t e carburetor to the engine.

The movement of the core in one direction is limited by a set screw 44 mounted in the end wall 45 of the bracket casing, and adapted to enga e the head 42 to retain the valve in slightly tilled position, and assure tilting of the va ve as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, whereby anti-clockwise operation of the valve under influence of suction in the line is assured.

In order to assure delivery of small quantities of fuel to the engine while the solenoid is operating, the core is provided with an axial recess 46 and a screw or pin 47 having a threaded portion engaged in a threaded opening in the end wall 40 of the housing 36 extends into the recess a suficient distance to receive the end wall of the recess when the core has been moved by the solenoid a predetermined distance, and thus prevent complete closure of the passage 14, the pin being adjustable to vary the efifective path of the core thus vary the extent to which the solenoid may tilt the valve.

The pin has a knurled head 48 with an opening 49 to receive a wire or the like that may be attached to an adjacent part of the apparatus and sealed to guard against molestation or change of position of the pin.

55 circuit including a lead 50 connected with the grounded battery and a conductor 51 adapted to be automatically grounded to close the circuit when the engine or automo- The solenoid is included in an electrical Lee'aeae threaded collar 54 of a transmission ordinar- 11y provided to receive the tubular end housing member of a flexible s eedometer shaft, a member 55 screwthreade ly engaged with the member 53 to form the casing, a shaft 56 having opposite ends 57 and 58 journaled in axialopenings 59 and 60 respectively in the casin members, the inner end 57 of the shaft being located in an end socket 61 of a stud 62 ordinarily provided to re-' ceive the speedometer shaft and keyed thereto by a pin 63. A centri u ally operating governor 64 including a bloch 65 slidable on the shaft and operatlng in the well understood manner is grounded in the frame of the automobile through the transmission-.-

Mounted in an an ularly extending threaded opening 66 in t e end wall of the casing member 55, is an insulating bushing 67 having a projecting end supporting a tubular cap 68 in which a sleeve 69 fixed on the end of the conductor 51 is located, and

a brush or pin 70' slidably mounted in a re duced end opening in the bushing projects into the casing in the path of the governor block and is yieldingly supported by a conductor spring 71 engaging the sleeve 69, whereby the block may engage the pin to close the circuit through the frame to the battery, and energize the solenoid to move the valve.

The bushing may be moved inwardly or outwardly from the casing, to space the same from the governor a desired distance for regulating the point at which the governor will affect the circuit, and the pin is provlded with a head 72 against which the spring bears and which retains the pin in the bushing.

The governor casing may further be provided with a threaded extension 7 3 to receive the tubular housing member 74 of a speed ometer shaft 75 and the speedometer and governor shafts may be Keyed together by a pin 76, the casing thus being conveniently interposed between the transmission and the speedometer housing and afiiording a mounting for both the housing and the conductor 51.

In using the device, the set screw 44 is adjusted to obtain desired tilted position of the valve 22 and assure movement of the valve in an anti-clockwise direction in Fig. 4 under influence of suction in the manifold. The adjustment may beeilected to promote the influence of suction for moving the valve after the solenoid has become effective, or to provide for operation of the valve solely by suction should the engine be idling, and the governor be actuated to an extent corresponding to a relatively high speed of movement of the automobile. The screw 47 will also be adjusted to limit the extent to which the solenoid may move the valvetoward passage-closing position or permit the suction in the line to move the valve.

The valve will normally be retained substantially in vertical position in the passage bythe spring operating against the core of the solenoid, and will therefore not appreciably interfere with movement of fuel through the passage to the engine.

When the predetermined speed of the automobile is attained, the governor will engage the brush and close the circuit on one side through the solenoid to the battery, and the other side throu h the transmission to the frame in which t e battery is grounded, thus causing the core to move and rotate the valve shaft and move the valve to obstruct the passage 14.

The solenoid need have only sufiicient power to start the movement of the valve, since the relatively strong effect of suction,

enhanced by the partial closure of the passage, will operate chiefly on the large lower portion of the valve and urge the same towards passa -closing position against the influence of t e spring in the solenoid. The rate at which fuel is delivered to the engine is thus diminished, and the speed of the vehicle is automatically reduced. I

The valve will remain ap roximately closed so long as the operator of the vehicle retains his foot on the accelerator dal, but when the throttle valve is allowed to close, the suction in the line will be relieved, and the spring in the solenoid will be permitted to move the valve 22 to open position.

The valve therefore remains in position to limit supplyof fuel to the engine, even after the circuit is broken by withdrawal of the governor block due to reduction of speed, until the operator. closes the throttle valve,

and thereby relieves the suction in the line permitting the spring in the solenoid to open the valve 22.

Attention is called to the fact that some fuel will still be supplied to the engine, and its operation will therefore not be entirely suspended.

Attention is further called to the means provided for adjusting the extent to which the solenoid ma limit the closing movement of the valve. When conditions, for example de reciation in efiiciency of the engine, re-

mre a lar r minimum passa e for fuel to l t 0 engine t an originally provided, the valve itself need not be removed or changed, but

in the line for automatically limiting flow of fuel throu h the line, and means responsive to the s e of the engine for setting up operation o the control valve.

2. In a speed control device, in combination with an automobile engine including a' carburetor, a fuel inlet, and a suction line connecting the carburetor with the inlet including a cylindrical portion, an elliptical valve having pivotal mount-ing above its transverse axis in said portion, and means responsive to the speed of the automobile for moving the valve toward line-closing position.

3. In a speed control device, in combination with an automobile engine including a carburetor, a fuel inlet, and a suction line connecting the carburetor with the inlet including a cylindrical pprtion, an elliptical valve having oppositely eveled op osite. edges and having pivotal mounting a ve its transverse axis in said portion, and means responsive to the speed of the automobile for moving the valve.

4. S eed controlling apparatus including in com ination with a suction line and a primary throttle valve for the line, an auxiliary valve responsive to suction in the line to throttle the line, a magnet having an armature operatively connected with the auxiliary valve, and speed responsive mechanism adapted for closing a circuit through the magnet.

. 5. Speed controlling mechanism including 1n combination with a suction line, a primary throttle valve for the line and a speed-respon- 100 sive device, a solenoid having a circuit controlled by the speed-responsive device, an auxiliary throttle valve responsive to suction in the line and operativel connected with the solenoid core for thrott ing the line in re- 105 sponse to a predetermined excess of suction in the line or energization of the solenoid, and yielding means for resisting throttling movement of the auxiliary valve.

In testimon whereof I afiix my si WVILLIAM R. MUR OW.

the pin 47 maybe moved inwardly in the housing 46.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is:

1. A speed control device including in comhination with a suction line of an automobile engine and a throttle valve under the control of the operator of the engine for controlling flow of fuel through the line, means includ ng a control valve operable by suction ature. 

